Driving Licences -   Drivers

Are you a driver? Do you let your employer know if you get penalty points on your licence, even for an offence committed in a private car? If you don't, then you could find that your employer can dismiss you and your employee's insurance cover may be at risk.  What's more, since May 2009 you could receive a graduated fixed penalty at the roadside from a VOSA examiner or a Police officer for being found to have failed to comply with the drivers' hours regulations, or being in control of a vehicle that  is found to be overloaded or unroadworthy.  Even though this penalty against you is more than likely to be accompanied by a prohibition against the operators 'O' licence you must still make sure you make your employer / operator are aware of the penalty issued specifically against you. If you don't you might find that both your employer and the Traffic Commissioner will decide to take additional disciplinary action against you.

Driving Licences - Operators

If you are an operator you have a Duty of Care, a legal obligation and a commitment to your insurance provider to regularly check all your employee's driving licences to ensure that each and every driver continues to have the authority to drive your vehicles. I would recommend driving licences should be checked at least every six months, preferably every three months.

Don't be satisfied with photo-copies or just the photo-card section of a driving licence, you need to see the complete and original driving licence documents.  Don't just glance at the driving licence, take a colour photo-copy. Check to make sure the driving licence is the same as the last time you saw it, or there is an acceptable explanation for any change - i.e. the licence has been renewed.

Make sure your drivers meet minimum the age requirements

You need to know which vehicles your drivers are legally permitted to drive and especially how old they must be to drive with regard to your motor insurance cover.

The weight of the vehicle also determines what type of vehicles drivers are entitled to drive. These are called 'vehicle categories' and are marked on driving licences.

Requirements for towing trailers

Whether drivers are entitled to tow a trailer or not depends on the category entitlement on their driving licence. An additional sets of driving tests is often required for each category or subcategory of entitlement.

Employee’s (Drivers') liability
The Road Traffic Act states that it is an offence to drive a motor vehicle without a valid driving licence.

Even though it is the employer's (operators) responsibility to ask to see employee's qualifications it is the employee's (drivers') responsibility to keep the employer appraised (aware) at all times of any issues with regard to the driving licence or any other qualifications. What's more, it must always be remembered that the Traffic Commissioner should be made aware of any prosecutions that a vocational licence holder is found guilty of, even when driving a private car.  It is the Traffic Commissioner that polices your vocational categories and he expects to be kept up to date with your driving record. What's more, operators / employers are expected to make sure that this (keeping the TC updated) is carried out as part of the obligation of being the holder of a Goods Vehicle Operators Licence.

So, if a driver receives a graduated fixed penalty at the roadside and/or is successfully prosecuted and/or get penalty points through the courts, the operator / employer must be made aware as soon as possible and the Traffic Commissioner also alerted.

Change of address - if you change your address you must inform DVLA, as both your driving licence and your digital tachograph driver card have your home address shown on them.

Renewing the drivers' photo identification  - photo-driving licences are only valid for ten years. They must be regularly renewed and the fee is presently £20.00. Although DVLA are committed to send drivers' reminders it is nonetheless the responsibility of the driving licence holder to ensure that their own driving licence is valid when they are driving. Failure to do so can lead to prosecution and a fine of £1,000.00.